Highest noble rank in Denmark
Lensgreve is the name of the highest noble rank in Denmark, and refers to a count (greve) holding an estate with the status of a (len) county.[1] They rank above ordinary (titular) counts, and their position in the Danish aristocracy as the highest-ranking noblemen is broadly comparable to that of dukes in other European countries.[2]
The rank was introduced in 1671 by a regulation establishing counties and baronies.
References
- ^ Lensgreve in 'The Danish Dictionary', retrieved 19/10 2019
- ^ Ferdinand Christian Herman von Krogh: Den høiere danske Adel. En genealogisk Haandbog, C. Steen & søn, 1866